Cutter bar and cutter chain



Jan. '26, 1937. .1. s. BELTZ CUTTER BAR AND CUTTER CHAIN Filed June 7, 1954 m mm f/vvE/vToR ub/m 5 Be/73, BY

ATT'Y'S.

Patented Jan. 26, 1931 2,068,789

UNITED" STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,068,789 ouTTEn BAR AND CUTTER CHAIN John S. Beltz, Columbus, Ohio, assignor to The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company,-a corporation of Ohio.

Application June '7, 1934, Serial No. 729,529 9 Claims. (01. 262-33) The present invention relates to a cutter bar 2 t d through e apertures in the connectand cutter chain construction for mining maing links to secure the connecting links together chines. and to pivotally hold them properly joined to An object of the invention is to provide a cutthe bit c r y n s- 5 ter bar and cutter chain of such construction as e it C y links l8 include flanges 5 5 to minimize wear and in which the parts which w ch are adapt d to b ar up th fla s are subject to wear may be readily replaced, of the wearing strips 12 a d flanges 25 are m Other objects and advantages of the invention Vided at the inner ends of the bit y n s, will be apparent from the following description W c flan s move in th ooves '5 0 the cutand drawing, in which one physical embodiment ter bar and thereby serv as bs- 10 of my invention is shown, and wherein like nue co t links 20 are p v d with merals refer to similar parts throughout the seves 21 adap d to be r n t e flan es 13 of the em} views, wearing strips and also include flanges or glbs In the drawing, 28 at their inner ends which move in the grooves 15 Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a section of a 5 0f the cutter bar.

cutter bar; a portion of the side wall of the bar As is best shown in Figu the flanges 5 of being broken away to show the position of the he bit carrying links may be of a length subcutter chain. stantially corresponding to the distance between Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken h centers of h P 23 and the Same is r e on the line 22 of Figure l. of the gibs 28 on the connecting links 20. The 2Q Figure 3 is an end view oi one of the bit carrynd sur a s f th ei s 8 may be downwardly ing links used in the chain, and inclined, as shown. The wearing strip engaging Figure 4-is an end view of a connecting link. flanges 0 t connecting links a the gibS The cutter bar of the present invention is of the bit carrying links are of less length than formed of the usual chain slide plates l0 secured t e d s ce b t t centers of the pin 25 together in spaced relation by a center bar II It will be noted that the wear strip engaging to form a track in which the cutter chain moves. flanges 25 and 21 are of maximum length so that The cutter bar of the present invention distina large wearing surface is provided, thereby inguishes from the cutter bars now ordinarily used shrine t the Pressure transmitted to the in that angled wearing strips l2 are riveted upon ing strips will be widely distr b and tilting 0f 3n the inner edges of the outer ends of the chain the links such as occurs when a bit encounters a slide plates, one flange l3 of each wearing strip hard body of coal in the seamwill be resisted. being positioned upon. the outer edge of a slide In the construction provided by the invention plate while the other flange It extends along the of the present application, the wearing strips I2 5 inner wall of the slide plate. This arrangement will be exposed to all of the wear to which the provides grooves I5 along the inner walls of the cutter bar would otherwise be subjected, because, cutter bar flanges in which elements of the cutas shown in Figure 2, even when the flanges 25 ter chain may move to prevent the chain from and 21 of the respective links are in contact with becoming displaced with respect to the cutter the wearing strips, the inner surfaces of the links bar. I will not bear upon the center bar il. Also, the 40 The cutter chain comprises bit carrying links provision of flanges 25 and 21 adapted to bear l8 of the block type and having bits I! secured upon the wearing strips at the ends of the slide therein in any suitable manner, adjacent bit carplates ID will provide bearing surfaces relatively rying links being pivotally connected by pairs of close to the cutter bits l9, further reducing the connecting links 20. The links are provided with possibility of tilting action of the links. The hold- 45 recesses 2| on each side thereof at their ends, the ing of the links against tilting wfli permit the inner walls of the recesses being concavely arcuentire structure to be used over a longer period i ate to conform to the arcuate ends of the 0011- of time than is the case where no such flanges are necting links as shown in Figure 1. By this arprovided.

rangement, the side surfaces of both types of links Tendency of the chain to turn on its longitudi- 50 will be substantially flush. The connecting links nal axis when fed in its own plane with the cutter 20 are provided on their inner faces with aperbit projecting laterally will be resisted by reason tured lugs 22 adapted to fit into sockets or bores of the fact that the side surfaces of the bit car- 23 which extend entirely through the bit carrying links l8 are flush with the side surfaces or rying links at each end thereof. Pins or rivets the connecting links 20. It can be readily seen 55 that the side surfaces of the links l8 cooperate with the side surfaces or the links in sliding engagement with the inner walls or the cutter bar flanges to resist tilting. This resistance is supplemented by the resistance against tilting aflorded by the gibs and 26 of the respective links. The manner of connecting the links l8 and 20, shown in Figures 2 and 4, also stiffens the chain and thereby further resists tilting.

It will be obvious that the wearing strips l2 may be readily removed and replaced. Heretofore, when the links have been constructed to bear directly upon the usual center bar and side plate structure, it has been necessary to substantially rebuild the cutter bar in order to correct for wear.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construction shown in the drawing and described in the specification and that the example of the use of the invention which has been given does not include all of the uses of which it is capable; also, that the phraseology employed in the specification is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

I claim:

1. In combination, a link cutter chain comprising alternate bit carrying and connecting links and a cutter bar including spaced flanges between which the chain moves, said flanges being longitudinally grooved at their inner ends, each link 01 said chain being provided with flanges to bear upon the .outer edges of the cutter bar flanges and gibs to engage the grooves in the cutter bar flanges.

2. In combination, a link cutter chain and a cutter bar including spaced outwardly projecting flanges between which the chain moves, each link of said chain being provided with flanges to bear upon the outer edges of the cutter bar flanges to distribute the pressure of the chain over a maximum area of the cutter bar flanges.

3. In combination, a link cutter chain and a cutter bar including spaced flanges, wear strips secured to the free ends of the cutter bar flanges, each link of said chain being provided with flanges to bear upon the outer edges of the wear strips to distribute the pressure of the chain over a maximum area of the wear strips.

4. In combination, a cutter chain and cutter bar, the cutter bar being provided with an undercut groove in which the chain moves, the chain comprising bit carrying links and interspersed connecting links, each of said types of links including a body portion moving in the cutter bar groove, a flange bearing upon the edges of the bar, and gibs moving in the undercut portion of the bar, the bit carrying links including a bit holding block projecting past said flanges.

5. In combination, a cutter chain and cutter bar, the cutter bar being provided with an undercut groove in which the chain moves, the chain comprising bit carrying links and interspersed connecting links, each of said types of links including a body portion moving in the cutter bar groove, a flange bearing upon the edges of the bar, and gibs moving in the undercut portion of the bar, the bit carrying links including a bit holding block projecting past said flanges, pin members connecting, said links, the gibs 01' one of said types of links and the flanges of said other type of link extending longitudinally a distance corresponding to the distance between the axes of said pins.

6. In combination, a link cutter chain comprising alternate bit carrying and connecting links and a cutter bar including spaced flanges and wear strips secured to the free ends of the cutter bar flanges, the chain being arranged to move between and upon the wear strips, each link oi! the chain being'provided with flanges to bear upon the outer edges of the wear strips and gibs to engage the inner edges of the wear strips.

7. In combination, a cutter chain and cutter bar, the cutter bar being provided with a groove in which the chain moves, the chain comprising bit carrying links and interspersed connecting links, each type of said links including a body portion moving in the cutter bar groove, and a flange bearing upon the edges of the bar, the bit carrying links each including a bit holding block projecting past said flanges.

8. In combination, a link cutter chain including bit carrying links and connecting links having their outer surface flush with each other on opposite sides of the chain and a cutter bar including spaced outwardly projecting flanges between which the chain moves, L-shaped wear strips secured to the inner walls and outer edges of said flanges to provideinner laterally extending grooves, the bit carrying links of the chain being provided with outwardly projecting flanges bearing upon the wear strips on the outer edges of the cutter bar flanges and with gibs movable along said grooves, tilting of the chain on an axis parallel to the path of movement of the links during feed of the chain cutter being resisted not only by the gibs fitting the wear strips and the grooves but also by said flush surfaces 01 both the bit carrying links and connecting links fitting the inner opposite walls formed by the wear strips between the cutter bar flanges.

9. In combination, a link cutter chain and a cutter bar including spaced flanges between which the chain is adapted to move, said chain comprising bit carrying links and connecting links and each link of the chain being provided with flanges to bear upon the outer edges of the cutter bar flanges to distribute the pressure of the chain over a maximum area of the cutter bar flanges, the flanges of the bit carrying links each having a length approximately equal to the distance between the pivots of the bit carrying links.

JOHN S. BELTZ. 

